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Forum Discussion
Can I use Orbi RBR50/RBS50 as WiFi access point as part of home wired network?
Hi All, I've been using one ORBI RBR50 and two RBS50 satellites in my current home. Internet comes in via coaxial cable connected to the ISP router, from there it connects to the RBK50 via ethern...
A huge consideration is where that 'wiring hub' is located within the house.
- If the hub is in a good location for a WiFi access point, why not do the same thing as in the new house as in the old house:
- Connect the Orbi router to the ISP device.
- Disable WiFi and routing on the ISP device.
- Take advantage of the in-house wiring to place the Orbi satellites where the whole house is covered with WiFi.
- If the hub is in a crummy location (basement, corner of garage, etc. etc.), then do the same thing except use the in-house wiring to place the Orbi router in a good location and connect the satellites over WiFi as they are now.
The main reason to change would be to simplify the network... I can't remember exactly why, but I had to put the ISP router and the RBK router in different subnets, so let's say the ISP router is x.x.1.1 and the RBK router is x.x.2.1 (and then all IP addresses in the network are provided by DHCP running on the RBK in that x.x.2.x range).
This might not be optimal and has caused some issues when trying to access devices when I'm away... it probably wasn't possible to completely disable the router function on the ISP device...
So for the new home I'll try to keep everything in the same network subnet to avoid any issues.
It's also nice to have two separate wifi networks in the house, I could setup the ISP router wifi just for guests, and keep the Orbi Wifi or private use... or something like that.
In any case, to use the ORBI like that I have to set it as "Access Point" in the router settings, right? Then it just gets an IP from the network and all three ORBI devices should talk to each other without issues, right?
One thing to watch out for is that the Orbi expects satellites to be connected through the LAN ports (not through the WAN port).
So, if the Orbi is connected to one of the ISP LAN ports, the Orbi satellites should not be connected to the ISP router LAN ports.
There are lots of possibilities. Good that you are "thinking ahead".